


What’s Invisible to the Eye

by vocallywritten



Series: What's Invisible to the Eye [1]
Category: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Anne is also bad at feelings, Anne is an angel, Brotp, But he's also not NOT jealous, Children with Crushes, Cole knows what's up, Developing Friendships, Everyone loves Anne, Gen, Gilbert is bad at feelings, Gilbert isn't jealous, I'm just very proud of Jerry okay, Male-Female Friendship, Unresolved Romantic Tension, friendships are important
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-06-11 20:28:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15323661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vocallywritten/pseuds/vocallywritten
Summary: In which Gilbert is confronted with the idea that he might have romantic rivals.Jerry is horrified.Cole is greatly amused.





	1. Gilbert and Jerry

**Author's Note:**

> This is dedicated to my sister, who encouraged me to write this for purely selfish reasons.  
> Squid, this is all your fault.

Gilbert Blythe was not one for eavesdropping. His peers might have found some amusement in the tidbits of gossip one could find out by listening in on other people's conversations, and perhaps even he had before his father had gotten sick and his world had gone sideways. Now, however, he had found himself and his family the subject of too much gossip and speculation to ever enjoy it the same way he had in childhood.

So it is very, very important to note, that Gilbert Blythe was not eavesdropping. Not in the slightest. It was hardly his fault that Anne Shirley-Cuthbert was having such a loud conversation with her farm hand in full view in public.

Although, to be fair, it wasn't a loud conversation. It wasn't even a very public one. But it was hardly Gilbert's fault that they happened to have their conversation one aisle over from where he was doing his own shopping at the counter, completely minding his own business. And it really wasn't Gilbert's fault that they hadn't noticed him. He had noticed them practically the moment they had walked into the store. He had even raised his hand in a small wave. It was hardly his fault they were too busy talking to each other to notice him. The store really wasn't very big, and if either of them looked even slightly to the left, they couldn't have missed him.

Anne and Jerry, however, seemed entirely too caught up in their discussion to notice much of anything, and while Gilbert was a little disappointed, he really did have things to do, and he had every intention of saying hello later. Perhaps when Anne didn't look quite so annoyed.

“...Marilla said not to be too long…”

“...I could have done it…”

“...but the last time…”

“...last time, you were the one…”

The argument filtered in and out of Gilbert's consciousness as he smiled at the clerk gathering up his purchases. Just as Gilbert was about to take his groceries and leave, and maybe loiter outside the store for a bit in the hopes of catching Anne at a more favorable moment, his brain snagged on a word that made him pause.

“... can't believe… on my birthday of all days.”

It was Anne's birthday today? It seemed like the sort of thing Gilbert ought to know, though if he really thought about it, he wouldn't have any business knowing it. Despite his very best efforts, he and Anne weren't close. Not like she was with many of their other classmates.

Almost against his will, Gilbert strained his ears to listen to the rest of their conversation.

“Oh!” Jerry said, patting his coat, argument seemingly forgotten all at once. “I nearly forgot.”

Anne narrowed her eyes, glancing the boy over suspiciously. “What?”

“Your birthday. I have something for you.” He saw Jerry grin proudly as he handed Anne something small and flat, looking on eagerly as she looked it over. Her own grin nearly overtook her face. 

“You remembered the E!” She exclaimed, sounding both pleased and touched.

Jerry glanced down, embarrassed. “Mr. Cuthbert reminded me. Said it was very important.”

Anne giggled, her smile never diminishing. “Bless Matthew.” She said with such feeling, Gilbert wondered if the words were actually a small prayer. Biting her lip, she looked down at her gift, eyes retracing it as though she wanted to commit the whole thing to memory. Then, quite out of nowhere, she leaned forward on her toes and pecked his cheek. Gilbert, through absolutely no fault of his own, nearly dropped his groceries. “Thank you, Jerry. I've never gotten so many cards from one person before, it's really rather thrilling to say that I am now the type of person another person would think to give a card to. And on more than one occasion! It is truly a pleasure beyond any imaginable thing to have such thoughtful friends.”

Jerry, clearly used to Anne’s grandiose verboseness, only looked slightly bemused. “You are welcome?” It was more of a question, but there was an unmistakable fondness in his voice. He smiled, mischief making his eyes crinkle. “You know, you kissed me the last time as well.”

Anne flushed slightly. “Don't let it go to your head, Jerry. I was merely expressing my gratitude for your thoughtful gift. I don't exactly plan on making it a habit.”

Gilbert thought it best to take his leave after that, but he couldn’t stop himself from loitering outside the store.

After about fifteen minutes, during which he nearly convinced himself to just leave altogether a grand total of ten times, Anne and Jerry emerged, arms as laden as his with groceries.

“Gilbert!” Anne cried, sounding almost pleased to see him. He had been waiting outside a store in the cold, his arms going numb from holding his bags for so long, and suddenly, all of that felt entirely worth it. “Hello!”

“Hello, Anne,” he said, a silly grin on his lip before he was even consciously aware of smiling. “How are you?”

“Uh, great! I’m great.” She replied, sounding almost startled by the question. Her eyes darted around until they landed on her very unamused companion. “You remember Jerry. Jerry Baynard. He works at Green Gables?”

“Yes, hello.” Gilbert said, as kindly as he could, unsure of what exactly to say to the boy. The last time they had met hadn’t been under great circumstances. “You’re, uh, quite a bit taller than the last time we met.”

It became abundantly clear that while this was the correct thing to say to Jerry, whose face lit up with an almost wicked glee, it was certainly not a good topic to bring up with Anne.

“Don’t say that.” Anne groaned, dramatic as ever. “He won’t stop lording it over me. Just because he can reach the top shelves now and I can’t.”

“It’s not my fault you were built so tiny.” Jerry said, smugly, shifting what appeared to be a sack of grain in his arms.

“A year ago you didn’t even come up to my nose, and you want to tell me I was built tiny?” Anne asked in outrage. “I take serious umbrage with your frankly unfeeling and tactless insults, Jerry Baynard, and I really do not know why I put up with you.”

Jerry, completely unruffled by Anne’s outburst, merely furrowed his brows. “Umbrage?”

Anne deflated immediately. “Umbrage. It means to take offense or be angry or annoyed.” She cast a significant glance his way. “It’s spelled U-M-B-R-A-G-E. I can write it down for you went we get home, if you like.”

Jerry nodded, mouthing the spelling to himself and looking very thoughtful.

Anne smiled again at Gilbert. “Jerry doesn’t have time to go to school, unfortunately, so I’ve offered to teach him how to read.” Her smile was suddenly aimed at Jerry, and it softened into something very happy and proud. “But he has come ever so far on his own. He’s even written cards for me. Isn’t that something?”

Gilbert smiled at Jerry. “Yes, that’s wonderful. Congratulations.” He said, meaning every word.

Jerry grinned proudly. “I still have a long way to go, but it is very nice to be able to read all the signs in town.”

“I’m hoping he’ll graduate to books soon enough.” Anne enthused. “I have ever so many book recommendations for him.”

The farm hand looked legitimately afraid at that suggestion, and Gilbert was hard pressed to stop himself from laughing at his expression. “Well,” he said, struggling to regain his composure. “If you like, I think my father saved all of my old grammar books from school. They’re all written in, but if you think they might be helpful, I could stop by and give them to you?” Jerry nodded carefully, thanking him for the kind offer, but Gilbert looked hopefully to Anne. “Would that be alright?” He asked.

Anne blinked in surprise, her cheeks tinting a lovely pink. “Ah, yes.” She nodded jerkily. “Yes, I think that would be fine. Right, Jerry?” She looked to Jerry, as though he had not already answered.

Jerry merely looked resigned to their antics and nodded again. “Thank you.”

“Anything to help a friend of Anne’s.” Gilbert said.

“Oh Jerry’s not a friend.” Anne cut in, though the quirk of her lips seemed to absolve her words of any sting. “He’s more of a nuisance.”

“How am I the nuisance when you’re the one who never stops talking?”

“I can’t listen to this anymore.” Anne said sanctimoniously, nose in the air. “I’m going to put this in the cart.”

“It was nice seeing you, Anne.” Gilbert cut in before she could walk away. “Have a happy birthday.”

“Oh! How did you know?” She asked in surprised pleasure.

“I heard a rumor.” He said, smiling crookedly.

“Well, thank you.” She said happily. “See you in school.” She aimed one last smile at him, and walked away, leaving Gilbert with a familiar feeling of vertigo he was beginning to associate with Anne herself.

“See you around.” Jerry said, following after Anne.

“Yeah, uh, I’ll bring those books over when I get the chance.” Gilbert agreed. Then, and he couldn’t have explained why he did it if he tried, he stepped a bit closer to the boy. “And, um, you and Anne…” he began in a quieter tone, proving to himself once and for all that he really hadn’t outgrown childish gossip. “The two of you aren’t-” he broke off, unsure of how to finish, and Jerry only looked confused. “I mean to say, i saw her kiss you and, I guess I wondered…”

Thankfully, he didn’t have to finish his query. Jerry’s face lit with understanding, and then crumpled as though he had swallowed a lemon. And then he laughed. Shaking his head, Jerry shifted the bag in his arm so he could slap Gilbert on the back. “Good one.” He laughed again, and left to catch up with Anne at their cart, leaving Gilbert feeling embarrassed, relieved, and oddly offended on Anne’s behalf.

“Yeah,” Gilbert mused to himself as he watched them pack up and ride away. “Real good.”


	2. Gilbert and Cole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cole knows what's up.

Gilbert knew Anne had gotten close to Cole Mackenzie while he had been gone. He just hadn't realized how close. That is, until Diana stopped in the mud room of the school house to talk. Her usual companion, Anne, had been stolen away by the boy himself, who had showed up a full day earlier than he was expected, if Anne’s shouts of pleasure were anything to go by. Diana had excused herself from the conversation to take shelter from the cold, but Anne and Cole barely seemed to notice as they both chatted animatedly outside the schoolhouse.

“Oh it's so nice that Cole's been able to visit, don't you think?” Diana Barry said gaily, smiling out the window at the boy in question, who was talking animatedly with Anne. “Anne’s been beside herself with worry since he decided to stay with Aunt Josephine, even though he writes her all the time.”

“He does?” Gilbert asked, sounding more interested in the whole affair than he strictly meant to.

Diana looked sideways at him. “Of course. They're very close. Anne says he's a kindred spirit.”

“Anne does love her kindred spirits.” Gilbert agreed, staring out the window at the pair.

“Exactly,” Diana exclaimed, happy that Gilbert seemed to understand. “He's so very kind to Anne and myself, but he and Anne just seem to have this understanding. I wasn’t quite sure of him myself, when Anne started spending so much time with him. He’s so quiet you know. But then he offered to kiss Anne after all of the boys were so horrible to her during that game, and, well, he’s been more than welcome in our circle ever since.”

Had Gilbert been walking, he might have tripped. Anne and Cole had kissed? And he hadn’t heard a word about it. That certainly put their closeness in a new light. Why was it, that as soon as he left, Anne had begun kissing so many of their peers? And why was it, that whenever he found out about these incidents, a strange, sick feeling settled in his stomach?

“Game?” Gilbert heard himself ask hoarsely.

“Spin the bottle.” Diana supplied. “It was Josie Pye’s idea. It was actually good fun for a little while.” Diana flushed, realizing that she had perhaps, revealed too much, but Gilbert took little notice. He barely registered when Diana saw her friends waving her over and said her goodbyes.

It was strange how one simple conversation could so thoroughly throw him off his axis. Gilbert found himself quite unable to concentrate, despite his best efforts, he found himself constantly looking back and forth between Anne, and Cole, who had opted to stay for the school day at Anne’s and Ms. Stacy’s urging. It might not have been so bad, had Anne not constantly found her own gaze drawn to Cole, her grin widening each time their eyes met.

The strange, sick feeling was back.

Gilbert had been gone for a year, and when he had returned, Anne had barely looked at him. Cole had been gone for three months at most, and Anne kept smiling at him, as though she had never been happier to see someone in her life.

When he had been away, he hadn’t worried much over Anne forgetting him. Avalonea rarely changed, he had assumed this fact would remain true no matter how long he had been gone.  
He hadn’t thought much at all about if Anne would wait for him, especially seeing as he hadn’t asked her to, and he wasn’t precisely sure what he would have asked her to wait for. He certainly hadn’t thought any of the boys would pay her much attention. But that was ridiculous now that he really considered it. Of course boys would notice Anne. She was pretty, and lively, and smart. He couldn’t have been the only one who noticed.

And now, it seemed that someone else might have noticed after all.

He could just hear Bash’s smug voice now, telling him that’s what he got for waiting.

Gilbert wasn’t sure how he felt about that, but when it came to Anne Shirley Cuthbert, being unsure of his feelings appeared to be a reoccurring theme, if he took the time to think about it. He did not.

He hoped that lunch time might give him a much needed break from his staring habit, and he breathed a sigh of relief when Ms. Stacy announced that everyone could put their books away. Gilbert reached for the anatomy book Doctor Ward had loaned him, determined to do something productive with his day.

“I’ll catch up.” He heard Anne promising. Likely to Diana and Cole, who had been waiting for her by the door. “I just need to finish this sentence.”

He wasn’t sure if she was talking about notes, or something else, but he tried his level best to tune her pencil scratching against paper as he continued reading.

In a few moments, he heard the scraping of a chair against the floor as Anne stood, then he heard a huge rustling of papers and a muted “Oh drat!” as Anne apparently dropped all of her notes, and watched in horror as they flew all around the room.

Anne groaned as she took a moment to look down at the scattered papers in nearly comical dismay. “Well at least this time they haven't caught fire.”

Gilbert’s brow furrowed, unable to stop himself from asking. “Caught fire?”

Anne grimaced. “Never mind.” She quickly went down on her knees, chasing after papers that had slid under desks and chairs.

Smiling slightly, he put his book to the side and knelt down to help her, carefully stacking everything on a nearby desk without paying their contents much mind. Most of them were covered in words, notes, stories, but one was decidedly not like the others. He found himself staring at a peculiar piece of parchment that looked like, perhaps, Anne indeed had some regular trouble with lighting her papers on fire.

“Oh!” Anne’s slightly panicked voice snatched him back from his thoughts. His eyes met hers, and he couldn't help but notice the sudden rosy color staining her cheeks. “Uh, Cole drew that.”

Gilbert cleared his throat, and, quite deliberately, looked down at the sketch as he handed it back to her, studying it carefully. “Well,” he said, and for some reason he couldn't explain, his voice wavered slightly. Desperately trying to make his voice come out normally, he tried again. “Cole is very talented.”

This, it seemed, was the right thing to say to Anne. Her whole face lit up with pride and happiness. Something in Gilbert's stomach tightened at her expression. “He is, very much.” She agreed, enthusiastically, continuing in her task as though nothing had happened. “Cole has a simply marvellous way of looking at the world, don't you think? And his art reflects all of the beauty in things that others might not see. Just look at what he did with my portrait! I mean, I would hardly consider myself an ideal subject, but he's really so talented that he even made me beautiful. Me!”

“It was as true to life as I could make it.” A voice above them said, sounding wryly amused.

“Cole!” Anne cried, rising with a smile on her face so radiant, Gilbert thought it could rival the sun itself. “I was just telling Gilbert about your art and how perfectly glorious it is.”

Cole raised an eyebrow, eyes flicking in between the two, and Gilbert suddenly felt very uncomfortable with the scrutinizing look Cole was giving him. Just when Gilbert thought that, perhaps, Cole was waiting for him to say something, the taller boy smiled, sheepish, and mischievous all at once. “Thank you, Anne. But I'm really only as good as my subjects.” Anne flushed slightly, confusion crinkling the corners of her eyes as she stared at Cole. He ignored her. “What do you think, Gilbert?”

“Uh,” Gilbert floundered.

“Cole!” Anne hissed, looking both mortified and furious.

“What?” Cole intoned innocently. “It's a simple question.”

“Well it's hardly a polite one-” She began.

“I'm inclined to agree.” Gilbert interrupted. Anne’s head whipped back in his direction, eyes wide, a flush staining her whole face. He met her eyes again, and smiled crookedly. “I think you make a fine artistic subject.”

Anne's lips parted, usually a sign that she was about to start talking, but no sound came out. She only continued staring, and Gilbert, as always, was content to let the moment stretch between them for as long as she would allow it. He felt his face relax slightly, his expression softening as he held her gaze.

Their breathing nearly synchronized.

“Anne,” Cole stage-whispered, sounding amused. “This is the part where you say thank you.”

Anne jumped, eyes darting away. “R-right. Ah, t-thank you, Gilbert.” She didn't look his way again as she turned on her heel and practically ran from the room, leaving half her papers still scattered on the floor.

Cole chuckled, casting a glance at the mess. “Well, I suppose I better get these back to her.”

Gilbert blinked. “Right, um…”

Cole's face split into a grin. “Unless of course you wanted to give them back?” The strangest expression had come across the boy's face, amusement mixed with challenge. It made Gilbert uncomfortable. Especially since he wasn't sure what Cole was challenging him about.

“No, no. I’m uh,” Gilbert cleared his throat. “I'm sure Anne would rather get them from you.”

Cole snorted. “You're sure about that?” He scanned the other boy, looking him over like he wasn't quite sure what to make of him. Then he blew out a breath. “The two of you are ridiculous.” And with that, Cole sunk down to the floor with more grace than Josie Pye or even Diana Barry could have managed, to retrieve the rest of Anne’s papers.

Gilbert frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Cole didn’t bother looking up from his task, “Just that you clearly like Anne, and you won’t admit it.”

Gilbert froze for exactly three seconds, and Cole looked over at him, as though the younger boy was expecting him to admit his undying love for Anne Shirley-Cuthbert right then and there. Which would have been ridiculous. Because Gilbert was fairly sure he didn’t know how he felt about Anne. Fairly sure.

“You're the one who kissed her.” Gilbert muttered, refusing to meet his eye, and feeling suddenly childish.

Cole grinned, oddly triumphant. “And is that bothering you?”

“No,” Gilbert denied, too quickly. “Or, maybe? I don't know. Diana told me you were being nice because no one else wanted to, but…”

“But what?” Cole prompted, evening out the stack in his hands with a few sharp movements. 

But what, indeed. Why was Gilbert so bothered by the idea of a silly kiss done during some silly school yard game? Was it because everyone had taken the opportunity to be unkind to Anne? That no one wanted to kiss her? That wasn't it, exactly. Was it Cole he had a problem with? Gilbert didn't think that was the case either. He liked Cole. He was kind and thoughtful and, as he had begun to observe since he had returned from overseas, an excellent friend.

Maybe he was bothered by the idea that this had happened at all. Because if he hadn't left, if he had been there…

Gilbert paused in his train of thought. If he had been there… would he have volunteered in Cole's place?

“But nothing.” Gilbert said, quietly. “It's none of my business. I shouldn't have brought it up.”

“We didn’t really kiss.” Cole said, slyly. Gilbert, resolutely, still did not meet his eyes, but his mind had gone quite still as he listened. “It was just a peck on the cheek. Anne grabbed me, and dipped me over her arm and kissed me right on the cheek.” Warmth and fondness and crept into Cole’s retelling, as though this was a memory he held dear. Gilbert found himself cracking a smile at the image. “It was very dramatic.”

“That sounds like Anne.” Gilbert chuckled, and his shoulders relaxed a tension that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

“Anne’s a good friend.” Cole agreed. “One of my best. She-” He flushed, looking out the window. “She was the first person I truly felt I could be myself around. She knew I was different and she didn’t care. She liked me anyway. She helped me realize that being different isn’t a bad thing. If it weren’t for Anne, I- well, I’m not really sure where I would be. She kind of makes everyone’s lives better just by being in them, doesn’t she?”

“Yeah,” Gilbert said, voice softer than he meant it to come out. He coughed. “You sound like you like her a lot.”

Cole raised a brow, standing up and gathering all of Anne’s things together. “Very much. Though not nearly as much as you like her, I think. Definitely not in the same way.”

For the second time that day, Gilbert Blythe found himself at a complete loss for words. “I-I mean-”

Cole’s face softened. “A word of advice? Being in denial of your feelings doesn’t help anyone. Least of all you. Take it from somebody who knows.”

He was halfway out the door before Gilbert found his voice again. “Uh, Cole?” Cole paused in the doorway, looking over his shoulder expectantly. “Thanks. And, uh, it’s good to see you.”

Cole grinned, genuine and happy. “You’re welcome. And it’s good to see you too.”

And with that, he left the school house, leaving Gilbert with quite a lot to think about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand that's all she wrote! Short and sweet seems to be the name of the game tonight xD  
> Anyway, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I hope you guys liked this! Turns out I am a lot more proud of Jerry than I realized, because I planned for that convo to go a lot differently but it just kind of turned into LOOK AT MY CUTE FRENCH SON.  
> Anyway, the next one is Cole and Gilbert, so stay tuned! And let me know what you think.


End file.
